The Flat Tax Calculator

"I guess it's like trying to put through the flat tax, which is probably my favorite one of all.... if we did pass it, all of a sudden, what do you have? You have the whole tax system run by a little old lady on a home computer, doing the work of all these thousands of bureaucrats and accountants. Passing that would be amazing, wouldn't it?"

--Clint Eastwood in an interview with the New York Daily News, November 19, 1997

The current tax code has over 5.5 billion words, countless forms and instructions, and is too complex for the average taxpayer to comprehend. As a result, businesses and individuals face huge burdens of time and money to comply with the tax code; in 2006, Americans spent over 6 billion hours filling out tax forms for the government.

Switching to a flat tax would make it simple to pay taxes, saving everyone time and money. Under a flat tax, filing taxes would take mere minutes, and decreasing compliance costs would improve the economy; all of those billions of hours we spend filing taxes could be put to productive use. Go ahead and compute your flat tax below, keeping in mind the time that you save in filling out a simple form, and that economic growth will improve your income situation immensely.

Fill out the sample tax form and see the ease of the flat tax

   Form1
Individual Flat Tax Form   
1. Your Wages, Salary, and Pension: $ (no commas please)
2. Marital Status:
Single    
Married (filing jointly)   
Single Head of Household
3. How many dependent children do you have?

Notes: The tax rate is 17%, with personal deductions (Married Filing Jointly= $26,400; Single = $13,200; Single head of household = $17,160). "Married (filing jointly)" is when either one or both spouses work, and are reporting their combined income. "Single head of household" is for unmarried individuals supporting dependents.

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